Reader Comments (40)

This is the first time I've not "gotten" the punch line. Why would you take your guest to the most expensive gas station you could find? It doesn't really benefit you at all . . .

Note from Scott: I'll admit that this joke doesn't really stand up to too much scrutiny. If I disliked the guests in question, I wouldn't let them visit. Let's say that I take them to the expensive gas station because there they sell "the really good stuff" and get on with our lives.

In a contrast to most of your comics (in which the third panel is usually the funniest and elegantly closed in the fourth) I found this one to have each panel being less funny than the last, it started great though.

re hublot replica watches's post, I had to read that a couple of times to deduce it is likely spam and the link, of which I have not clicked, confirms it.

The beauty of your comic, Scott, is that any one panel can be a good one and when they hit on all 4 cylinders, it is awesome. While this one did not hit on all cylinders, I enjoyed it and getting enjoyment at the beginning of the day is not something to be take lightly.

Perhaps the fourth panel punchline is only funny for those of us that live in Orlando, because I found it hilarious. And the evil grin really should be enough to make anyone's day. More of that please!

The last panel gave me a giggle, having been trapped by that damn gas station. If you don't know that it exists, though (and really charges double what every other station charges, and doesn't display its prices, which I think is illegal, or should be), I can see how it would be slightly confusing and/or not funny.

I believe it's more of a 'strained attempt to continue being civilized over the phone in the face of extreme douchebaggery'-grin rather than an evil grin, but I agree it could certainly be well-utilized in future comics...

nman: Oh you Old Worlders, especially Brits with a superiority complex. Quite a few states in the nations of the Americas are bigger than that of the British Isles and Europe. Electricity is on alternating current, not direct, to be transported many more miles. MOAR DISTANCE. It's not a fair comparison, even factoring in that petrol/gasoline IS comparatively cheap here.

(Let's not get into the natural gas lines piped over from Russia, shall we? I mean, really, acting all superior about cost of resources... THAT's gonna get you burnt.)

Oh, and can we please drop the British English "America" to mean only the U.S.? Since when did Canada get a free pass? I mean, hey, Spaniards are a little more accepting of Latin America these days... if residents of the UK are going to act like cocky older siblings, they might do a little better to practice some of this metropolitan "global view" doctrine constantly preached during political discussions. Y'know, use a terminology like: "the Americas." Oh, but then the stereotypes just wouldn't fly so well, would they?

It seemed to me that Scott was trying to discourage the caller from visiting without actually saying "Don't come here, I don't like you":Why wouldn't he just say it? Maybe there's someone else he doesn't want to offend (mutual friend, relative, etc) who would be offended if he was that direct, but being discouraging might fly under the radar..." I decided not to go, because he saId he'd have to move out to a motel to put me up, and he was willing to drive me around but he buys expensive gas..." sounds like whining. "Don't come here, I don't like you" sounds like what it is.

@ Dee - I think the whole point is, what a pain in the ass it is to have out of town visitors, who want to use your place as a free hotel and be driven around to lame tourist spots all week. But, of course, you have to be gracious and put up with it, if even in a very snarky Scott Meyer way.

@jaklumen: Wow, nman's simple one sentence comment really set off something in you. I guess the "Oh, you americans" way he started his sentence got you going -- it did sound condescending. He did have a point though -- I hate paying the $3-4 I have to pay for gas here in the U.S., but compared to most of the world we still have it good.

What I don't get is your last paragraph where you read into his sentence that he was singling out the U.S. when he (or she) referred to "americans"? That seems to be something *you* are reading into his sentence, not something he put in there. How do you know he wasn't including Canada (or Mexico, or Central America, or South America) in his comment? He didn't specify one way or the other; indeed, spelling it with a lowercase 'a' might have been his or her way of indicating it was a generic continental "american" rather than a specific country. For that matter, it seems to me U.S. Americans are by far the worst at using the word "America" and "Americans" to refer *only* to the U.S. (and I should probably specify U.S.A. rather than U.S. since Mexico is actually named United States of Mexico or United Mexican States depending on translation, meaning U.S. *could* refer to Mexico), so getting on nmap's case about him (and apparently UK residents in general, according to your own stereotype...heh) using the word to refer to only the U.S. citizens, when it's not even clear he did, is a bit disingenuous. I do admire the way you ended a diatribe of your own stereotypes about how U.K. residents superiority view over the U.S. with the sentence "Oh, but then the stereotypes just wouldn't fly so well, would they?"

I get that you had a chip you needed to get off your shoulder, I think we all understand that feeling. Hope you're feeling better. :-)

Heh, heh... Bob's rebuttal to the jaklumen reaction to the nman post refers to "US Americans." Am I the only one who instantly thought of Miss Teen South Carolina's wonderful 'map question' answer from a few years ago that used the same term, though not in the same context? Also, as further proof of that speech being hardwired into my psyche, I offer this bit of evidence: in Bob's sentence "...it seems to me U.S. Americans are by far the worst at using the word "America" and "Americans" to refer *only* to the U.S.", I unconsciously replaced "...it seems to me..." with "I personally believe..."(By the way, not siding with anyone nor against anyone in this debate about nationlism, or whatever it is, but I actually agree with Bob's sentiment in that sentence. For the record, I am "US American.")Anyway, take it easy, everyone. We're here to have fun, right?

Utterly brilliant! Such timely advice with the festive season looming nearer. It reminds me for some reason of the one about how to increase a City's tourism which must have done some much for Reno.The comments so far are also hilarious. I've never seen one where so many people seem to have no idea what it's about. Full marks to Edgar E. Cayce for explaining it properly, though why it should be necessary is beyond me. And another thing, have I told you about the price of petrol where I live (or should I say gas as you North Americans so quaintly call it) ? Oh, what do you mean you don't care?Anyway, keep up the good work....

Regarding the fourth panel, I would say it could always be a joke between friends being represented. When I'm with close friends and family, we always poke fun at each other. That seems like a typical sort of witticism we tend to spout toward each other -- devious, but not serious at all.

I like that grin, by the way. Reminds me of my own. My smiles always come across as rather evil-looking. Or crazy, at the very least.

I'd say that panel four grin is "sly" rather than "evil," but that doesn't really change the strip's hilarity, nor my earlier stated hope that I'm not on the receiving end... although now that I think about it, being deviously duped by Scott might actually be something of a badge of honor, in a twisted way!

I am always slightly disappointed in the comments section. Not because the people posting there are ignorant morons, but because they are witty and possess powerful working knowledge of the English language; excellent observation, and wit.

By time I get to the comments section, people have already said things like, "You are willing to let your guests stay unchaperoned in your home after abusing them at the gas station?"

I have noticed that oftentimes the humor is not in the comic itself, but in all of the great consequential jokes it prepares.